Hank-loading device

ABSTRACT

A device used for fitting sail hanks of the spring-loaded type on to a forestay consists of a channel section magazine which fits over the stay and which carries on its outer surface the previously assembled spring hanks of a sail to be hoisted. The magazine member is held on the stay and upon hoisting the sail the hanks slide off the magazine member on to the stay, greatly reducing the time needed to effect a sail change.

United States Patent [:91

Wheatley 1 HANK-LOADING DEVICE [76] Inventor: George Norman Wheatley, 18

Gardens CL, Parkstone Rd., Poole, Dorset, England, 13H 15 2NX [22]Filed: Jan. 3, 1973 [21] Appl, No.1 320,767

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 8, 1972 United KingdomO32039/72 [52] U.S.Cl 114/102; 114/114 [51] Int. Cl v A 1 1 1 .1 B63h9/04 [58] Field of Search 114/102, 104109, 1 14/1 1 1-1 14 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,925,798 2/1960 Colgate 114/102[4 1 Aug. 26, 1975 3,421,470 H1969 Schaefer, Jr, 14/102 PrimaryExaminer-Trygve M. Blix Assistant E.ramz'nerStuart M. GoldsteinAttorney, Agenr, or FirmCushman. Darby & Cushman [57] ABSTRACT A deviceused for fitting sail hanks of the springloaded type on to a forestayconsists of a channel section magazine which fits over the stay andwhich carries on its outer surface the previously assembled spring hanksof a sail to be hoisted The magazine member is held on the stay and uponhoisting the sail the hanks slide off the magazine member on to thestay, greatly reducing the time needed to effect a sail change.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures lll PATENTEU auczsms SHEET 1 or 2HANK-LOADING DEVICE This invention relates to a hank-loading device foruse in fitting spring-loaded sail hanks or clips to a stay, for examplea forestay of a sailing vessel.

The leading edge or luff of a head sail is commonly secured to a wirestay by means of spring-loaded hanks or clips which are attached to theluff of the sail and which clip onto the wire stay. Various types ofspringloaded sail hank are known, but the commonest type has a U-shapedportion which fits onto the stay, and which is closed by a spring-loadedpiston, the piston being retracted by hand to release the hank from thestay.

To fit a sail to a stay it is necessary to clip the individual sailhanks to the stay, and this can be a difficult and time-consumingoperation. An object of the present invention is to provide ahank-loading device which can be used to facilitate the fitting ofspring-loaded sail hanks or clips to a stay by obviating the need tofasten each hank or clip individually to the stay.

Essentially, the present invention resides in a shaped magazine ontowhich the hanks or clips are preloaded preparatory to effecting a sailchange. More specifically, the present invention provides a hank-loadingdevice for use in fitting spring-loaded sail hanks or clips to a stay,comprising a channel-section magazine member adapted to fit over thestay, a handle for gripping the magazine member, and releasable meansfor retaining the magazine member on the stay, the magazine memberhaving parallel outer surfaces on which sail hanks or clips may beassembled, and at least one of the said outer surfaces being providedwith longitudinal guide means which retain the hanks or clips on themagazine member and permit longitudinal sliding movement of the hanks orclips along the magazine member.

It will be appreciated that use of the device according to the inventioncan greatly reduce the time required to effect a sail change, so thatthe device is particularly, but not exclusively, applicable to racingyachts. The hanks or clips of a sail are pre-assembled on the maga zinemember preparatory to hoisting the sail. When the sail is to be hoistedthe magazine member is placed on the stay, having first lowered theexisting sail, if any, and the appropriate halliard is attached to thehead of the sail. Upon hoisting the sail the hanks or clips slide alongthe outer surfaces of the magazine member, leaving the magazine memberand snapping in succession onto the stay.

Preferably the releasable retaining means are connected to a hinged partof the handle and are brought into a retaining position when the hingedpart of the handle is gripped to hold the magazine member on a staylocated in the channel of said magazine member.

The magazine member is preferably provided with a fixed handle part inaddition to the hinged handle part, so arranged that when the two handleparts are gripped together the magazine member is retained on a stay bythe releasable retaining means. The hinged handle part may be attachedto the magazine member for pivotal movement about a hinge axis parallelto the longitudinal axis of the channel in the magazine member, saidhinge axis being located laterally outwardly of one of the said outersurfaces of the magazine member. The hinged handle part preferablycarries respective teeth at opposite ends of the magazine member, whichteeth enter the channel of the magazine member when the handle part isgripped, to hold the magazine member on a said stay.

The longitudinal guide means can conveniently comprise a longitudinallyextending rib upstanding from one of the said outer surfaces, each hankor clip embracing said rib when assembled on the magazine member.

A removable stop is preferably located at one end of the magazine memberto prevent sliding movement of the hanks or clips off the magazinemember from said end.

Preferably the channel-section magazine member has side walls which areformed with notches or recesses at one or both ends, so positioned thateach hank or clip, when sliding off the magazine member, snap-engages asaid stay located in the channel of the magazine member before leavingthe magazine member.

A typical practical embodiment of the invention will now be described,merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIG. I is a diagrammatic perspective view of a hankloading deviceaccording to the invention, illustrating its mode of use;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side elevation of one half of the device shownin FIG. I, the other half of the device being identical to theillustrated half and symmetrical with the latter about the line C-C;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the device shown in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the illustrated half of the device shown inFIG. 2.

The illustrated hank-loading device is intended for use in fittingspring-loaded sail hanks 1 (FIG. 1) of a headsail 2, part only of whichis shown, to a wire forestay 3. The sail 2 and the hank I are ofconventional construction, the hanks I being attached to the luff of thesail 2 at equal intervals. Each hank I has a C- shaped portion 4 whichengages the stay 3, and a spring-loaded plunger 5 which closes theC-shaped portion 4 to retain the hank I on the stay 3. The hank I isreleased from the stay 3 by manually withdrawing the plunger 5 againstthe action of its biasing spring.

Normally the sail 2 would be attached to the stay 3 by engaging each ofthe hanks I individually with the stay 3, a process which is necessarilytime-consuming.

The device according to the invention, illustrated in use in FIG. 1, cangreatly reduce the time required for a sail change. The device includesa channel-section magazine member 6 formed with two laterally outwardlyprojecting parallel flanges 7, 8 along its longitudinal edges. The sizeof the channel in the member 6 is such as to accommodate the stay 3 inthe bottom of the channel, which has a semi-circular cross section forthis purpose. The channel in the member 6 has plane parallel side wallswith parallel outer surfaces 9 the spacing between which is such as toallow individual spring-loaded hanks I to be clipped onto the magazinemember 6, in springloaded engagement with the parallel surfaces 9. Oneof the surfaces 9 is formed with a longitudinally extending upstandingrib 10 (FIG. 3) spaced from the respective flange 8. The individualhanks 1 when fitted to the magazine member 6 are retained thereon by therib I0, which acts as a guide permitting longitudinal sliding movementof the hanks 1 along the magazine member 6.

Where the magazine member 6 is formed from sheet steel the upstandingrib 10 is conveniently formed during the folding operation, at the sametime as the flanges 7, 8, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The device is provided with a handle having a fixed part 11 and a hingedpart 12 attached to the magazine member 6. The fixed handle part 11Consists of a bent metal bar of circular cross section attached bywelding or brazing to opposite ends of the flange 7. The hinged handlepart 12 is also formed from a metal bar in the same shape as the fixedhandle part 11, opposite ends of the hinged part 12 being attached torespective hinge arms 13 which are pivotally attached by respectivehinge pins 14 to respective brackets 15 attached by welding or brazingto opposite ends of the flange 8, the hinge pins 14 defining a hingeaxis H which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the channel in themember 6 and spaced laterally therefrom.

Each hinged arm 13 is formed integrally with a tooth 16 which engages inthe channel of the magazine member 6 when the hinged handle part 12 isbrought into juxtaposition with the fixed handle part 11, as illustratedin FIG. 2. The two teeth 16, positioned at opposite ends of the channel,prevent removal of the magazine member 6 from the stay 3 while the twohandle parts 11, 12 are in this closed position.

The device can be opened, to permit fitting of the megazine member 6 toand its removal from a stay 3, by simply moving the hinged handle part12 away from the fixed part 11, thereby removing the teeth 16 from thechannel in the magazine member 6.

One of the flanges, 8 (FIG. 4), is provided at opposite ends with acircular hole 17 which is adapted to receive a bolt 18 (FIG. 1) designedto act as a stop preventing removal of hanks 1 from the magazine member6 at the end fitted with the bolt 18.

When using the device the hanks 1 of a foresail are first clipped ontothe magazine member 6, as previously described, while the sail is stilllocated in its sail bag, preferably below decks. To prevent sliding ofthe hanks 1 off the magazine member 6 the hole 17 in the flange 8opposite that in which the stop bolt 18 is located is engaged by one ofthe hanks 1, this hank being removed and fitted to the magazine member 6immediately prior to hoisting of the sail 2. The sail, still in its bag,is brought into position on the foredeck, and with the existingheadsail, if any, still hoisted, the tack of the sail 2 is attached tothe appropriate fitting at the lower end of the stay 3, and a new sheetor sheets are rove off and bent onto the clew of the sail 2. Immediatelythe existing sail has been lowered, and before its hanks are detachedfrom the stay 3, the magazine member 6 is fitted onto the stay 3 abovethe lowered sail and the two handle parts 11, I2, gripped together, toretain the magazine member on the stay. The appropriate halliard isattached to the head of the sail 2 and the sail 2 hoisted, whereupon theindividual hanks l are withdrawn in succession from the magazine member6 and snap automatically onto the stay 3. When the sail has been hoistedand all the hanks 1 have left the magazine member 6, the hinged handlepart 12 is moved away from the fixed part 11 and magazine member 6removed from the stay 3.

To ensure that each individual hank 1 does not leave the magazine member6 before its plunger 5 has sprung home, the opposite ends of the sidewalls of the channel in the member 6 are provided with notches orrecesses 19 at the position occupied by the plungers 5, so that theplungers move into their locking positions immediately before the hanksleave the magazine member.

The device according to the invention is particularly suitable for usein single handed yachts. For this purpose the device may be providedwith releasable locking means for locking the magazine member on thestay. Such locking means may, for example, be associated with the twohandle parts 11, 12.

It will be noted that the hank-loading device of this invention isintended for use with conventional springloaded sail hanks, and does notentail any modification to the hanks or the stay to which they are to befitted. This is a practical, as well as an economic, advantage, since inthe event of loss or failure of the hank-loading device it is stillpossible to use the hanks and the stay in a conventional manner. This isin contrast to other previously known arrangements for effecting rapidsail changes in which conventional hanks are dispensed with in favour ofslides engageable in a groove in a specially adapted stay.

Although the illustrated embodiment of the invention is fabricated instainless steel, it may be found advantageous to manufacture the devicein other materials, for example in plastics.

1 claim;

1. A hank-loading device for use in fitting springloaded sail hanks orclips to a stay, comprising:

- a channel-section magazine member adapted to fit over the stay, themagazine member having parallel outer surfaces on which sail hanks orclips may be assembled;

- a handle for gripping the magazine member, said handle having a hingedpart;

- releasable retaining means connected to said hinged part for retainingthe magazine member on the stay, and

- longitudinal guide means on at least one of said outer surfaces, saidguide means retaining the hanks or clips on the magazine member andpermitting longitudinal sliding movement of the hanks or clips along themagazine member, said retaining means being brought into a retainingposition when the hinged handle part is gripped to hold the magazinemember on a stay located in the channel of said magazine member.

2. The device defined in claim 1, wherein the magazine member isprovided with a fixed handle part in addition to the hinged handle part,the magazine member being retained on a stay by the releasable retainingmeans when said two handle parts are gripped together.

3. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said hinged handle part isattached to the magazine member for pivotal movement about a hinge axisparallel to the longitudinal axis of the channel in said magazinemember, said hinge axis being located laterally outwardly of one of saidouter surfaces of the magazine member.

4. The device defined in claim 2, wherein the retaining means compriserespective teeth carried by the hinged handle part at opposite ends ofthe magazine member, said teeth entering the channel of the magazinemember when the fixed and hinged handle parts are gripped together.

5. A sail hank-loading device for use in fitting springloaded sail hanksor clips to a stay, comprising: a channel'section magazine member havinga channel adapted to fit over the stay; releasable clamping means forretaining the magazine member on the stay with the stay located in thechannel of said magazine member, said magazine member having outersurfaces on opposite sides of the stay-receiving channel, which areparallel in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the channel and onwhich sail hanks or clips are assembled in use of the device,longitudinal guide means provided on at least one of the said outersurfaces for retaining the hanks on the magazine member while permittinglongitudinal sliding movement of the hanks along the magazine member; ahandle having a fixed part attached to the magazine member, and a parthinged to the maga zine member, the releasable clamping means comprisingteeth connected to the hinged part of the handle, which teeth enter thechannel of the magazine member to retain a stay located in said channelwhen the hinged part and the fixed part of the handle are grippedtogether.

6. The device defined in claim 5, wherein the longitudinal guide meanscomprise a longitudinally extending rib upstanding from one of saidouter surfaces, each hank or clip embracing said rib when assembled onthe magazine member.

7. The device defined in claim 5, including a removable stop located atone end of the magazine member to prevent sliding movement of the hanksor clips off the magazine member from said one end.

8. The device defined in claim 5, wherein the chan nelsection magazinemember has side walls which are recessed at at least one end, sopositioned that each hank or clip, when sliding off the magazine member,snap-engages around said stay located in the channel of the magazinemember before leaving the magazine member.

1. A hank-loading device for use in fitting spring-loaded sail hanks orclips to a stay, comprising: - a channel-section magazine member adaptedto fit over the stay, the magazine member having parallel outer surfaceson which sail hanks or clips may be assembled; - a handle for grippingthe magazine member, said handle having a hinged part; - releasableretaining means connected to said hinged part for retaining the magazinemember on the stay, and - longitudinal guide means on at least one ofsaid outer surfaces, said guide means retaining the hanks or clips onthe magazine member and permitting longitudinal sliding movement of thehanks or clips along the magazine member, said retaining means beingbrought into a retaining position when the hinged handle part is grippedto hold the magazine member on a stay located in the channel of saidmagazine member.
 2. The device defined in claim 1, wherein the magazinemember is provided with a fixed handle part in addition to the hingedhandle part, the magazine member being retained on a stay by thereleasable retaining means when said two handle parts are grippedtogether.
 3. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said hinged handlepart is attached to the magazine member for pivotal movement about ahinge axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the channel in saidmagazine member, said hinge axis being located laterally outwardly ofone of said outer surfaces of the magazine member.
 4. The device definedin claim 2, wherein the retaining means comprise respective teethcarried by the hinged handle part at opposite ends of the magazinemember, said teeth entering the channel of the magazine member when thefixed and hinged handle parts are gripped together.
 5. A sailhank-loading device for use in fitting spring-loaded sail hanks or clipsto a stay, comprising: a channel-section magazine member having achannel adapted to fit over the stay; releasable clamping means forretaining the magazine member on the stay with the stay located in thechannel of said magazine member, said magazine member having outersurfaces on opposite sides of the stay-receiving channel, which areparallel in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the channel and onwhich sail hanks or clips are assembled in use of the device,longitudinal guide means provided on at least one of the said outersurfaces for retaining the hanks on the magazine member while permittinglongitudinal sliding movement of the hanks along the magazine member; ahandle having a fixed part attached to the magazine member, and a parthinged to the magazine member, the releasable clamping means comprisingteeth connected to the hinged part of the handle, which teeth enter thechannel of the magazine member to retain a stay located in said channelwhen the hinged part and the fixed part of the handle are grippedtogether.
 6. The device defined in claim 5, wherein the longitudinalguide means comprise a longitudinally extending rib upstanding from oneof said outer surfaces, each hank or clip embracing said rib whenassembled on the magazine member.
 7. The device defined in claim 5,including a removable stop located at one end of the magazine member toprevent sliding movement of the hanks or clips off the magazine memberfrom said one end.
 8. The device defined in claim 5, wherein thechannelsection magazine member has side walls which are recessed at atleast one end, so positioned that each hank or clip, when sliding offthe magazine member, snap-engages around said stay located in thechannel of the magazine member before leaving the magazine member.